Pirelli tire tests during the free practice sessions in Suzuka and Austin
The second Free Practice sessions of the Formula 1 races in Japan and the United States will be extended for testing of the Pirelli 2023 tire version.
Pirelli is working on a modification of the tires for 2023, focusing on creating much stronger front tires to assist teams in managing and controlling understeer.
They have already worked individually with teams during custom tire tests after this season’s F1 races. Another testing phase is scheduled with Red Bull after Monza.
Mario Isola, head of motorsport and F1 at Pirelli, revealed that he had agreed to extend the second free practice sessions in Suzuka and Austin by an additional 30 minutes to give teams more time to test the new rubber.
If any of these sessions are affected by rain, the FP2 in Mexico will be used as a fallback option. Speaking of the idea, Isola hoped that the extended race plan would work to ensure that teams could focus on tire testing without sacrificing their race preparations.
« The second Free Practice session will be 90 minutes long, not 60 minutes, so we have a little more flexibility. In terms of operation, it will be very similar to a normal session for them. »
« I think that with the current plan, we have a good solution for now. Obviously, it’s the first time, so we have to verify if it works or not.
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« The idea for the future is to keep all these types of tests available. So, when we have the European season, after certain races, on Tuesday or Wednesday, we can use some available teams for tire testing, » said Mario Isola.
